Professional alarm monitoring benefit vs DIY Home Security

 Why choose professionally monitored home security systems over a DIY installation?

This is an opinion post from a licensed home security system professional

• Homeowners insurance discount on a professionally monitored home security system can be up to 20% off. This can offset the monthly alarm monitoring fee making your 24Hr professional monitoring cost effectively free. Insurance companies will typically not give a discount to a self-monitored home security system. 
• With professionally monitoring you have 24/7/365 personal waiting to receive signals from your home or business. Even the most vigilant homeowner cannot self-monitor 100% of the time. Vacation and life events happen. The home security system is an electronic notification device. As long as it is functional, it will notify 100% of the time. Professionally monitored home security system operators at central stations are on standby to receive and react to emergency notifications. They touch base with homeowners to verify alarm conditions and then proceed to emergency dispatch if necessary.  
• One of the biggest perks of professional installation is greater assurance that your security system will be properly installed. This will not only save you time in the long run, but could also help you save money by avoiding improper installation and potentially dealing with a break-in. DIY home security system installations can be great and potentially less expensive, but mistakes could be costly. With DIY installation, you’ll need to make sure you’re comfortable setting up your system. In many cases, providers have support pages that you can reference for tutorials or help documentation. Preplanning and taking your time with the installation are critical. Testing once complete and on an ongoing basis will be necessary. Professional licensed installation takes these steps out of the equation. 
• New security system installations are designed with a homeowner’s budget in mind. Premier Security techs will provide a complete analysis of the home's vulnerabilities, review security options with the prospective homeowner and then listen to homeowners' desires and concerns.  Although there are some universal standards on security systems, no two homes are the same and our security consultations address that. Land slope to accessible windows, traffic behind the home, location of the home inside a subdivision, pinned windows, door type and materials, and many other factors all contribute to what is proposed in a Premier Security system design.

To summarize; DIY installation is not bad, however we believe professionally installed home security system is better. At Premier Security, we have had plenty of customers that either had an engineering or IT background or just plain techie proficient, who installed their own security system and then called us for alarm monitoring. Some of these DIY installations have been great and some our technicians had to fix. We just want you to have home security whether you do it yourself or professionally monitor through a security system company.

770-217-0670

4.   

Telguard Interactive on Honeywell Vista security panels by Premier Security

Premier Security Inc. has now been installing the Telguard Interactive product line for 45 days on customers that have existing GE, DSC, and Honeywell security system panels. Telguard Interactive on DSC panels works perfect, straight out of the box, exactly as the manufacturers manual dictates. GE Network panels require the installer to follow the directions to the T when installing the TG1 express and enabling Telguard Interactive. This post is more for installing the TG1 Express on either Honeywell V15P or Honeywell 20P panels and enabling the Telguard Interactive features. After having three new customers in a row that had existing Honeywell panels not work after installing the TG1 express and enabling Telguard Interactive, we set out to solve the problem and document the correct steps with the help of a lead technician from Telguard tech support. There is no documentation online that indicates the correct procedure and the technical manual that comes in each TG1 express does not cover all correct setup procedures.

This blog post is not only for all of Premier Security technicians SOP, but also a professional curtsey to any other dealers or installers across the country that have experienced this technical challenge.

·         Wiring of the Keyswitch zone on the Honeywell motherboard should be done in parallel with no resistor used.  Using a resistor can have what is called a phantom arm two weeks after installation. System will arm/disarm by itself.

·         Use a keypad harness for wiring output 18 on Honeywell motherboard.

·         Because the TG1 express can be configured for the SLIC, if running a separate power wire to the unit, clip or cap all unused wires of RJ31x cord. This will remove any possibility of power shorts coming from TG1 express SLIC feature.

·         Configuration of the Telguard keyswitch zone in Honeywell panel programming must be programmed as a 77 (Keyswitch zone)

·         Define zone as Normally Open. Not an EOLR zone.  (Program Option 2).  The technical manual issued by Telguard definitely indicates an EOLR zone.

·         We used a time response of 1 as the last subsection in zone programming.

·         Honeywell Output programming in section 80 for output 18 is correct in the Telguard technical manual and will be defined as 78 or Keyswitch red. Do not worry about programming Keyswitch green.

·         The biggest issue is on dealer programming of TG1 unit from Telguard’s dealer activation website. The Honeywell panels on Interactive setup upon registration cannot be setup as a Honeywell panel. On the Interactive page of dealer setup, there will be a drop down menu to select panel type TG1 is being installed on. At this point select OTHER PANEL Normally Open. If you select Honeywell panel on the drop down menu, interactive features will not work, and Keyswitch zone will show open on the alarm panel.

 

* Note: section 84 Auto stay arming in Honeywell panel programming will be determined by the

installation company. Arming command from Telguard Interactive platform is for Away Arming.

Once this is completed Telguard Interactive features on Honeywell panels work like a charm. No technician with any company wants to spend thirty minutes to an hour on the phone with tech support double checking every step of the installation until these items are cleared up. Follow this process and the installation will be smooth and timely.

 

 

Premier Security is excited to offer Telguard Interactive features as it provides customers who have existing security systems a cost effective platform for text and email notifications on alarm conditions, panel status changes and the ability for smartphone or computer control arming and disarming of the security system without having to upgrade all existing hardware. The overwhelming factor that has lead Premier Security Inc. to offer this product as a option to our popular Honeywell Total Connect alarm monitoring is affordability to the customer. Premier Security Inc./Telguard-Interactive.html

Total Connect from Premier Security and Honeywell

Total Connect from Honeywell by Premier Security
Finally, interactive security technology is becoming more affordable on home security systems and business security systems. For the last twenty five years security systems have relatively stayed the same. Door and window contacts, motion detectors, glass break detectors, and normal components installed on security systems have remained unchanged for years and years. Better products have entered the marketplace for false alarm reduction, but the products have in essence remained the same at the standard security system price level. Without getting into a custom level multi thousand dollar security system, advanced features were just not available at reasonable pricing. Now Premier Security offers Total Connect from Honeywell. Interactive event based control and notification of home and business security systems at no additional monthly fee. What can Total Connect do for you? Text or email notification of alarm events, system arming or disarming, trouble conditions with the security system, and remote arming/ disarming of security system from smart phones or an internet connection. Video can even be tied in with wireless cameras for viewing on smart phone or internet connections with event based notification: i.e. movement in rear of the house automatically triggers an emailed video clip to your smart phone. Instantly. Very cool! Finally this technology has reached a price point where we can offer it to every consumer at a reasonable price. If homeowners or businesses are interested in wireless or cellular alarm monitoring only, we offer the Total Connect features at no monthly price difference from just using the Alarmnet 7845GSM radio for wireless alarm monitoring. There is a onetime setup fee of $75.00 for programming and user walkthrough on all the available features. It normally takes around two hours for our programming technicians to setup all feature of Total Connect and provide the home owner or business owner a user interface walkthrough. Once configured the end-user has complete control and setup options at their disposal to change and reconfigure as events dictate. Total Connect right now only works on Honeywell or Ademco branded systems. Premier Security is moving very quickly to offer this type of interactive security for all of its alarm monitored customers using other manufacturers system brands. At Premier Security, we believe within three to five years all new installations will have these types of features standard with consumer demand for advanced technology. At an affordable price for interactive security, why not? Many homeowners and businesses are switching their Total Connect over to Premier Security just because we do not charge additional monthly amounts for that service. Many security companies charge $10 to $15 more per month for Total Connect so you end up with monthly monitoring rates anywhere from $35 to $45 monthly. Premier Security offers cellular monitoring on the Alarmnet radios at $25.00 monthly with no additional monthly fees if you want the Total Connect features. It does not cost Premier Security anymore money per month for the consumer to be using the Total Connect features, so we do not charge an additional monthly rate. Best of all, Premier Security offers Total Connect Cellular alarm monitoring with no contract in Atlanta,GA.

Significant rise in home burglaries in Atlanta, GA

From what our technicians are reporting back from the field, it appears there are significantly more home invasions than a year ago. Specifically in areas of Atlanta that we normally don't see as much crime activity. Our technicians upon activating customers expect to see some homes that have just been burglarized. This is when people are reactive and either install a new home security system or activate an existing security system that was already in place at the residence. However the reports coming back into our office from our technicians seem to indicate that there happens to be more burglaries and breakins than normal. A lot more. This kind of flies in the face of reported national statistics for a decrease in overall crime rates.

It is most likely a result of economic conditions. Daytime burglaries are the most common, between 10AM and 3PM. Flat screen TVs, laptops, gaming systems, guns, and jewelry from the master bedroom are the most common items taken. Especially the flat screens.

Keep your curtains closed in your living areas where the TVs might be kept.
Keep your jewelry in other areas than your master bedroom closet or nightstand.
Keep your yard signs fresh and new looking. Replace them if they have faded out over the years.
Think about having a locksmith reinforce you door jambs. Doors are kicked in so easily with the soft types of wood used in the door jambs. Police recommend using 2 to 3 inch screws in the strike plates that you can do yourself.

Test your security system every 30 days and use it all the time, not just on vacation.
Do not advertise on social networks on upcoming vacation times, this is a new trend for burglars. They might burglarize you when they know you will be leaving.

Neighborhood watches are excellent.
Consider wireless monitoring as a type of notification to your home security system company. The issue with your run of the mill burglar trying to defeat the security system is easily solved.

Premier Security
770-217-0670
www.AtlantaSecurityMonitoring.com

Atlanta Home Security

Everyone is pretty much aware of crime statistics in Atlanta, GA...or maybe your not. We are experiencing a marked increase in what our technicians report back from the field when activating existing security systems or installing new home security systems with the increase of burglaries recently. Customers are telling us their particular stories of what has happened to them recently.

The last six months are kind of shocking, most likely directly related to the downturn in the economy. We have always secured proactive customers that are protecting against the possibility of home invasion, however the areas of homes in Atlanta that we are going into after a burglary has happened has become widespread. For the most part, Marietta, Smyrna, Vinings, Roswell, Acworth, and Kennesaw saw a lower level of crime and we would see the occasional burglary report from our customers. This has changed! Parts of East Cobb and Smyrna are being hit over and over again and these are nicer areas to live in.

Statistically burglaries generally happen between 10 AM to 3 PM. The most likely time the house will be empty.

Home security systems can help. This is part of the key.

1) A fresh new yard sign and decals on your windows and doors, looks like you just had your system installed and everything is working. You are less likely to be burglarized by this visable deterrent. Most burglars will go to a home that is visibly unprotected. Replace your yard sign if it is faded or broken. Keep it new looking!

2) Use you security system! So many customers only use their security system when going on vacation or only at night. It is a hassle to turn it on during daytime hours, but we recommend using it ALL THE TIME. Remember, most burglaries happen during daytime hours.

3) Test Your Security System Monthly testing the functionality of the security system is something customers definitely don't like to do. No one wants to listen to the siren, however it is important. check each device and the response from your monitoring company. Notify your security company before testing so emergency services are not dispatched.

Our recommendation is being aware of unusual activity in your area and taking reasonable precaution's to help prevent getting burglarized.


Premier Security Inc.
Marietta, GA
770-217-0670
http://www.atlantasecuritymonitoring.com/